Diner surprised to be charged extra 2 cents due to 'rounding' by restaurant despite Visa payment
A diner was surprised to discover that a restaurant charged him an additional two cents for his meal due to "rounding".
It was especially galling for Stomper Alex because he did not use cash to make payment.
"At this point of time, the economy is so bad, this big chain restaurant also want to steal a mere two cents?" asked the Stomper.
"As I paid by Visa, the more I don't see the need to round up."
A photo of the Aug 8 receipt shows the Stomper had ordered a porridge priced at $10.90. With the 9 per cent goods and services tax (GST) of 98 cents, the total came to $11.88.
But the receipt also included a "rounding" charge of two cents.
So the Stomper was ultimately charged $11.90 on her credit card.
GST-registered businesses may round their bills to the nearest five cents to facilitate cash payment as one-cent coins are no longer in circulation.
But this was a cashless payment.
Is the rounding up allowed?
To find out, Stomp contacted the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) to no avail.
But in Case's list of best practices on price display and communication, the association states: "Taxes and additional charges (e.g. takeaway containers, surcharges, delivery and shipping fees) should be disclosed upfront."
